


Piandao Meets Little Zuko

by Do_it_for_the_v1n3



Series: Zuko Is A Protective, Chaotic Gremlin [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Gen, Happy Azula (Avatar), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Piandao is worried, Pre-Canon, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Teacher-Student Relationship, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Brother, Zuko gets pseudo-adopted without his knowledge, Zuko is a feral gremlin and the responsible adults are worried, Zuko is baby, Zuko's love language is giving people knives, and he has knives, someone has to look after this child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:08:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27606736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_it_for_the_v1n3/pseuds/Do_it_for_the_v1n3
Summary: A look around the pallace after Zhao got stabbed, some new faces are here and a take on our favorite gremlin on the percpective of a new comer!Basically, Piandao really didn't want to go to the Caldera, but he got a little sword child out of it.
Relationships: Azula & Mai & Ty Lee & Yue & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Ursa & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Piandao (Avatar), Piandao & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zuko Is A Protective, Chaotic Gremlin [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018366
Comments: 36
Kudos: 723
Collections: Fics that made me happy 2021, The Best of Zuko, The Piandao Library





	Piandao Meets Little Zuko

**Author's Note:**

> Heeyyy I came back!
> 
> So this isn't as funny/cracky as the other one, but is important for later and more on the fluffy side. I try to give Piandao character, because he is underestimated
> 
> Yep, there will be something after this, I just don't know when.
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader Overcast and all the love in the comments! You guys are awesome!

Piandao watched as Prince Zuko repeated the slashing sequence he just taught him. The prince already had the basics buried deep inside his bones, so Piandao considered the idea of introducing Zuko to the dual dao style since he was ambidextrous. Despite Piandao’s worries about his new student’s… nature, Zuko was a promising student, and he couldn’t deny him the right to learn the art of the sword.

Well, if that was even a possibility.

Zuko sliced and stabbed through the air in a dance that Piandao could recognize. It was akin to his own style, so Piandao patted himself on the back. He reveled in the way that the boy, who even while he was clearly exhausted, effortlessly charged at him while swinging his sword in a slice-and-stab motion. Piandao dodged with ease, but he couldn’t help but think:

_ This is good. He’s getting stronger. _

The satisfaction was eclipsed when the prince’s sleeve fell away, revealing one of the boy’s light scars. Bruises and burn scars that surely shouldn’t be in the skin of a 7 year old, and a new bruise that seemed about two days old, that Piandao was sure didn't come from training, if its hand-like shape meant anything. He felt his blood boil in indignation for a moment. What kind of monster would…

His line of thought interrupted itself.

_ Don’t get too soft. He is the Prince.  _

_ You shouldn’t even be this sympathetic. _

“Good. Steady but flexible. A dragon ready to block, dodge, or attack.” Piandao said, blocking Zuko’s attack. “You have a remarkable connection with the art of the blades, Prince Zuko, and that is not found in many people,” he smirks, “but you must remember to keep your hold strong. Keep it up, and you will be one of the greatest swordsmen of the world when you reach age.”

He felt satisfied as he saw the boy slip a discreet but genuine smile.

But still, the voice in the back of his head nagged.

_ He is not a normal child. _

_ He is a descendant of the Sozin line. _

He held back a sigh of frustration on that. To find a student worth his time, especially in noble obligations he wouldn’t be able to escape, always brought him joy, but this was a remarkable case, both in danger and in gains. He barely had to apply his more unorthodox tests to see a possible apprentice’s potential. It was incredibly clear, from the way the boy walked, breathed, and to the way he held his sword that he had most of the knowledge of a good swordsman in his nature.

He sighs.

“Let’s work on some movement exercises, so we can see the possibility of air-born moves.”

He watched as the prince tested the first move with great agility while moving between high and low ground. It was clear that someone had taught Zuko the bare essentials before, and the boy had worked hard with it, that was sure. Most beginners and even prodigies would have fallen into their faces after the first few tries.

Honestly, Piandao was almost certain that the boy was doing extra practice drills in secret. The young prince had a disturbingly busy schedule, with daily swordsman practice, multiple lectures on academic and political subjects, and of course, fire bending practice. Yet, he somehow always found enough energy after all that to give Piandao and honestly any sensible adult heart attacks, since the little prince’s understanding of free time somehow involved jumping through the palace’s roofs, disappearing for hours, and then showing up out of nowhere, playing arson games with his sister or overall doing things that 7 years old shouldn’t do.

So Piandao kept his eyes open for the little prince’s reputation and relationships with others.

General Iroh’s opinion about his nephew was very clear, and so was Prince Lu Ten’s that seemed three seconds away from outright claiming the little prince and princess as his young siblings at all times, barely restraining himself for the sake of his aunt. 

There seems to be a part of the nobles, and maybe even Ozai himself, that refers to Prince Zuko as weak or disappointing in comparison to his sister.

Then there were the ones who feared him. Not the usual apprehension of the common folk towards the power of the royal family. Real fear, coming from a few powerful people that lived with fake smiles and venomous words, but that avoided a young boy like the plague, that seemed to always look around to confirm that there weren’t any tiny figures hidden somewhere, the same type of fear people had around the royal family, so similar to his forefathers.

He couldn’t really understand it. Sure, he heard about the Zhao incident from dozens of different tales, but the boy simply… didn’t seem to match most of them. The two images simply didn’t click on his head. He was skilled of course, and a little more ruthless than normal, but he seemed like a kind child. Piandao had met his fair share of sadistic, cruel people to know that this simply wasn’t the case.

_ Stop lying to yourself, Piandao.  _

_ Don’t get attached.  _

_ He is just a kid.  _

_ but… he might grow to be a general and kill thousands in the name of the Fire Throne. Maybe even sit on that throne and cause even more bloodshed. _

The simple line of thinking made him sick. He tried not to think about it.

The topic came to mind again as he was talking with an old uncle and some of the palace’s staff. It was nice, to escape the rules of status and just casually talk, equal to equal over some fire whiskey. No political games, just the familiar warmth of memories of a modest childhood and comforting company.

“Piandao, you arse, there you are!” Aza, a familiar figure of a thousand family parties from years ago asked, greeting him. “It’s been so long! So, why are you here for?” 

“It’s nice to see you, uncle.” He answered as he hugged the older man. “What other reason to visit besides chatting over some drinks and your famous fire flakes?”

“Hah! You know it!” The man said, showing Piandao where to sit while he grabbed a plate of snacks, a bottle, and two coups. “But you know what I mean. It’s rare for you to come to the Caldera.”

“I was called to teach the prince. It has been good so far. He is a good student.” He said, grabbing a chili roll.

“Prince Zuko? Good lil’ dragon, that one, even though he gave me a fair share of grey hairs with his habit of running around and causing mass panic because no one can find him, or somehow got into the rooftops again.” The man chuckled and drank a little from his cup.

Piandao laughed. “I only had him for a week but I can already see it vividly. What does the folk think about him?”

“Huh? Well, Not nearly as snobbish as most noble kids, actually knows that guards and servants are people and treats us like it. Probably Lady Ursa’s influence, she is nice. Wasn’t born with a silver spoon, I think.”Aza explained. “Most guards seem to like him enough, but there are some few that either dislike or are scared shitless of him...”

“Why?” Paindao asked, straightening his posture.

“Don’t know exactly. Some are just tired of him disappearing when you blink. Some just don’t like kids. A few describe him as creepy or even antagonistic.” The man hummed. “To be fair, the last ones are usually assholes, so I don’t think about it too much. Maybe the kid just knows it somehow.”

Piandao took a drink.

“That adds up. Kid has some good instincts.”

“Take care. Even the nicest dragon still craves blood and ashes.”

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed, with another gulp, and decided to change the subject. “So, how is little Izzy doing? Any news on him?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear the last one… “ he laughed, and spent the rest of the night with bright, harmless banter.

* * *

“How is it going with prince Zuko?” General Iroh asked when they met for tea and some Pai Sho.

“He is learning wonderfully fast.” Piandao said, taking a sip from his cup. Jasmine. “That child already advanced more than most of my older students. I’m intrigued as to why his abilities aren’t more well-known like the princess. Prince Ozai’s priorities I suppose.”

“Yes, my brother… he doesn’t really care for any matters beyond firebending, even above personal enlightenment or academics. Besides, my nephew had problems with some tutors, mostly because their teaching styles were... violent.” Iroh said, frowning. “From watching both of you interact, I’m sure that you are aware that prince Zuko answers better to constructive and positive insight.”

“Indeed.” He answered. After a while, the general broke the silence.

“I must warn you. My nephew is normally a kind child, but since the… incident… he has been going through a more...  _ destructive _ phase. I think the incident made the Firelord and Ozai’s priorities awfully clear to him since they were pleased by his behavior. He has been… testing the extension of their approval with more problematic behavior, and they have been rewarding him for it. Azulon, too.”

That was Piandao’s turn to frown. He had fought alongside General Iroh in the past, and even though the man seemed to care for his men and his people, he was still The Dragon Of The West.

“How bad is it?” 

“He won’t cause any damage without reason, or to any defenseless creatures, but he will do it when he is searching for approval,” Iroh said, humming as he set his tile in an offensive position. “he also avoids doing it if his mother or I disapprove of it, at least in front of us, that is.”

“What are those behaviors you talk about?” Piandao set a piece in defense.

_ Do I have to worry about another genocider? _

“He got some new bad habits, and some old ones got worse, like scaring people by sneaking up on them, playing with knives, or messing with the candles.” 

“Something common for a young Fire Nation boy these days.” Piandao hummed, and he didn’t really know who he was comforting.

“Yes.” Iroh sighed, making his move “What concerns me more is the mirroring. He has started to mimic things he sees Azula, Ozai, and Azulon doing. Burning things. Saying mean things, threatening people, or even burning those he really doesn’t like.”

Well, that was disconcerting. And felt really out of character, so either the kid was an incredible liar or…

_ ‘Even the nicest dragon still craves blood and ashes.’ _

“I see. I’m not surprised he developed such behaviors, since children learn by the environment around them, but I won’t let this kind of action occur under my tutelage.” Piandao said, setting up an attack network. “Though, I do have a question. I was hoping that you could tell me a bit more about Prince Zuko’s relationship with the rest of the royal family.”

_ Who is responsible for the burns? _

“Well, I believe you know through my letters by now that I’m fond of the boy, and so is Lu Ten. They get along well, and his little cousins tend to follow his path like tiny turtle ducks when we are here. Lady Ursa also holds lots of love for her son, a true dragon-mother she is.” Iroh chuckled a bit. “My brother and father… didn’t normally pay any mind to Prince Zuko, Ozai even seemed to antagonize him. But now… things seemed to have changed, and I’m not sure how much. Only that they are paying very close attention. It’s very… uncharacteristic of them to do so, in my humble opinion” 

The Dragon Of The West frowned and moved his lotus tile.

“Ursa and I are worried, and Lu Ten is still too young to see how dangerous this can become. Prince Zuko’s nature didn’t change, even if his actions did. All he knows is that his little cousin it’s being treated better, so he supports it.”

“And Princess Azula… Ozai tried to pit them against each other, like what happened with us, but it didn’t work for long. Prince Zuko is so stubborn that he could be a fearful earth bender. It’s almost like he refuses to let himself feel hurt, and even Azula’s ego at its worst doesn’t seem to push him away.” Iroh said thoughtfully and then moved a tile. “She always had those tendencies, but Zuko cares a lot for her. He is really protective and they play a lot together, so he might have picked some of those habits from her. I’m afraid of what could happen if someone tried to weaponize that affection.”

He nodded with the bitter realization. In many ways, Prince Zuko was like a dragon, from what the descriptions he heard related. It was visible on the way he stood, the way he fought. Dragons walked and slithered, permanently in a state of hunting. They were determined, prideful creatures whose inner fire refused to bow. 

_ Dragons protected and avenged their kin, and to do it, they would burn entire cities to the ground. _

Well, remembering the bruises in the young boy’s arms, he could have very good reasons to do so.

“Understandable” Piandao muttered as he counter-attacked with his tile. “That explains a bit, actually…But I believe that is a good thing.”

_ For the little prince, at least. For the rest of the world... _

“Why is that?” 

“The best warriors fight both for others and for themselves. If he cares for someone else and wishes to protect them, he will be aware of his surroundings and be more prepared for foreign threats. It will be an opportunity for him to grow..”

_ Let’s just hope that this growth is directed to the right way. _

* * *

“Master Piandao.” a feminine, firm but polite voice greeted.

Piandao turned into the sound’s direction, to meet eyes with the owner of the voice.She was a bit smaller than himself, around her early forties with the usual pale face and amber eyes usually seen on nobles or high-mid class. She had the shape and posture of a high-grade military man, with a firm phoenix tail and the movements of an experienced fire bender, what was made even clearer by the white scar that stretched from her chin to her lip, probably caused by an earth Kingdom swordsman, Piandao concluded.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Master Raiko Li, a retired general and Prince Zuko’s firebending instructor.” The woman said, bowing. “ I hope that we can work together, for the best interests of our student and the Royal Family.”

The name was familiar, Piandao noted as he scraped the contents of his brain for new information. 

_ Raiko Li, General Raiko Li, General Li- if she is here it means that she retired out of duty, so… _

_ General Li, the Storm Wielder. Imperial firebender, one of the only ones outside the royal family that is able to invoke lightning. Retired a few years ago, because of an injury caused while she was taking a good portion of the southern Earth Kingdom territory. _

_ What is someone like this doing here, teaching a child? _

“I’m honored to work with you, Master Raiko.” Piandao bowed back, and they shook hands. “I heard about your incredible feats in the war. I’m sure Prince Zuko’s talents will flourish under your tutelage.”

_ Maybe even too much. _

“So will yours.”

“Would you join me for tea, so we can talk about Prince Zuko? I only started teaching him a week ago, and I’m quite curious about him.” Piandao asked, gesturing to the table.

“Yes, of course.” The firebender nodded, then took the seat across from him. “I’ve been working with him for four weeks now, but I can already tell that he is one of the most intriguing students I ever had. Hard worker, determined and especially good at breaking expectations.” She said, as Piandao poured her and himself a bit of ginseng tea. “From what I heard about him before coming to the caldera, dealing with a late bloomer, and considering the palace’s expectations for one of the Sozin line, I expected a kid around his age’s usual level, or a little below or above.”

“It’s true that he can’t be considered a prodigy, at least not in comparison to the rest of the Royal Family, but he has some traits I believe are more important than the speed in which he learns new katas.”

“And what would that be? “ Piandao raised an eyebrow and drank his tea. Hearing such a statement from an Imperial firebender was… unusual these days.

“Prince Zuko is quite creative. He sees possibilities where most don’t, and most importantly, he tests them and improves himself while at it.” She said, setting her cup down and looking directly at him, as if she’s sizing him up. “The boy is always creating new techniques and new strategies. He has a lot of potential to become an exceptional fighter and strategist, especially if he develops the virtue of patience.”

“Indeed.” Piandao hummed. The woman knew what she was talking about. “Patience is vital for a long-lived warrior, though that’s a virtue that I never found in someone so young.”

“Only time will tell.” Raiko said, nodding. “I have separated a specific time for the young prince to test and experiment as he pleases, and it seems to improve his performance and incentivize him. He also seems to be quite fond of scrolls and texts in general, so I have been recommending some reading materials about the theoretical basis.”

Piandao hummed, nooding. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

“If it isn’t a bother, could I ask how you came to be in this position?”

“I fought under General Iroh in some campaigns, before my retirement. I was honored to be of assistance, even more after I met my student. My predecessor was… inadequate.” Raiko commented, with a hint of sharpness that suggested that she had way stronger and less professional opinions than ‘inadequate’. “A fine warrior, for sure, but too impatient and aggressive to be an instructor, especially to a child. Some of the other tutors, unfortunately, share that trait as well.”

Paindao didn’t miss the little warning, the thin threat in her voice. The warning that he better not follow their example.

_ So someone else is looking out for Prince Zuko. Good. _

He let a genuine smirk slip through the mask of politeness.

Even with all the risks… the boy is too young to be in the middle of the rat-viper nest that is the Caldera. He already saw its bite kill dozens of powerful men.

“That is quite a shame.” He answered. “I too have more unconventional ways of teaching. It is quite dreadful to limit a student to one single methodology. I assume that some of those marks were caused by your predecessor?”

“Yes.” She said with thinly hidden disgust.

“What about the more recent ones?” He said with a different question between the lines. “Not all of the injuries were burns.”

Her eyes hardened and the candles of the time fluttered as if spiced. She subtly nooded with understanding, confirming his suspicions. They shared a common frustration, knowing that only two or three people would dare and have the authority to hit a Fire Nation Prince. The silence became heavy for a few seconds, until it was broken.

“From what I can see, Prince Zuko will probably enjoy your lessons, Master Piandao.” She said, looking him in the eye with a discreet nod of approval and glinting bronze eyes. “I recommend that after a while you implement different techniques, but be careful about watching his limitations and the time he spends training. I found that the Prince has a bad habit of overworking himself and doing extra training in secret.”

Piandao raised an eyebrow at that. It was more common for kids to dread or even try to run away from the extensive lessons they had with nobles.

“I actually pondered on that possibility, with how fast he has been progressing, but I didn’t consider it to be possible, for a child with such a strict schedule as a prince.”

The firebending master smiled at that.

“Prince Zuko isn't quite conventional, Master Piandao.”

Piandao nodded.

He wasn’t indeed.

* * *

On the day Piandao started to understand his new student better, it was sunny. He was walking around the palace, looking for Prince Zuko to give him a scroll for study. Turns out Master Raiko Li was right, and unbelievably, the child seemed to devore most things given to him like a mantis-bookworm. He had just turned to the left corridor when he heard the uncommon sound of children’s laughter echo through the palace.

“-this way Lala, so that you have a firm grip… “ he heard the little prince say:

“Like this?”

“Yeah, you got it!” 

“Of course I did!”

“Oh, this one is pretty!” Said an unfamiliar, bubbly voice.

_ BAM! _

“Ah, nice trick Mai! Hold on, I think I have something for that…” Prince Zuko mussed.

Now, Piandao was a trained soldier, a master swordsman, and a member of white lotus. He has seen lots of things that he would never have expected 10 years earlier.

Yet, when he turned his head in curiosity to see what the children were doing, it took an immense amount of self-control not to let out a yelp of panic. 

Prince Zuko and Princess Azula seemed to be playing with two girls about their ages, and all of them seemed to be playing with  _ knives _ . Prince Zuko seemed to be teaching Princess Azula how to use a dagger with the help of a training dummy, while a girl with buns practiced some knife tricks and a girl wearing pink was sitting on the ground, thumbing over some knives and admiring their designs.

He watched with grim curiosity as Prince Zuko pulled a throwing knife out of somewhere in his robes and then gave it to the girl with buns.

“This one is better for throwing. It’s lighter and with a needle end like a dart, it cuts deeper into the target. Like this.” The prince threw it into the target and it hurried deep into the center. Piandao made a mental note to include that ability into his training regime. He then walked up to it and pulled. “It’s also more resistant, so if you take care of it, it will last a good while. You have a good wrist movement and great precision in ball games, so I thought you may like it”

The girl blushed and took the knife “Thank you.”

“Oh! Let me see!”The girl in pink cartwheeled towards them with curiosity and looked at the other knife.

He then turned and started teaching his little sister how to use the knife she was holding, stabbing the training dummy where a grown man’s liver would be. Knives weren’t his area of expertise, but Piandao could see that the blade was too heavy for her and affecting her wrist angle. She did the movement twice and then prince Zuko called her, pulling two seethed knives from somewhere inside his robes.

“Try one of those Lala!”

The princess tested the first one with some test movements and then the other. She seemed to like the second one, an elegant but simple dagger that ended in a needle-like form. 

“This one!” The Princess held it triumphally.

“Nice choice.” The Prince smiled. “That one is awesome. It is great for stabbing and can also be used as a tool for-“

The noise of steps came from the corridors, and all of the children tensed. One of the girls managed to hide her knife in her sleeve and prince Zuko hid the ones he was holding, but princess Azula and the other girl weren’t that fast.

Lady Ursa entered the room in time to see all of them either trying to hide the knives or give them back to the prince. 

“What is going on?” Lady Ursa exclaimed.

“Zuko, what are you doing with those knives?! You can’t give them to the girls… You shouldn’t even have them for that matter.” she said tiredly, with a huff of frustration. “Azula, give that back.”

“But-“ the Princess said in protest before she was cut off when Lady Ursa raised a hand.

“No buts. Let go of it, your brother is lucky if I don’t take it away.” She said. 

The child pouted and gave the knife back to her brother, who put it in its handle and put it in his pocket.

“How about we go play in the garden instead.” All of them nodded along.

A few seconds after Lady Ursa turned away from them and they started walking, Piandao noticed a subtle movement. He watched the prince pass the blue and red dagger that she had just returned to Princess Azula. She brightened in surprise when she recognized the handle. The little prince gave her a conspiratory smile and she beamed, grabbing the knife, expertly disguiding the movement as a gesture for hand-holding. The prince automatically compiled and passed it to her, standing a little in front of her to give her a blind spot to hide the knife in her pocket without their mother or the guards noticing.

That simple action, for some reason, resonated with him. It was just so… normal. Such a normal and childish thing to do, to slip off a toy or candy to your sibling and friends, if you ignored the fact that they were playing with knives of all things. It was almost sad, how extraordinary and out of place it felt.

He wondered if the prince or the princess ever were allowed to just be children. If they ever had days with no worries, just playing games and eating candy and pulling pranks like his own childhood.

He knew deep down that it was unlikely, and a part of him mourned for it. Prince Zuko was just 7 and Princess Azula was younger, yet they still had their days filled with lessons and combat training.

Piandao felt himself smiling at the children’s antics. He decided to give the scroll to the little prince in the next lesson. He deserved to just play around with his friends after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Piandao, internally:" I can't go soft just because my student is a child! His family is out there destroying the world!"
> 
> Also Piandao: "I only had Prince Zuko for a week and a half, but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this castle and then myself."
> 
> My Piandao is a simple man. He sees a feral child, he adopts them. 
> 
> Pls send comments and kudos, any insights are welcome!


End file.
